Robert A. George's ruminations on politics, race, pop culture, sports, comic books & various other sundry temptations of the human condition. Yes, he writes for the New York Post, but the views here are solely his own.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Taking One For The Home Team...

...except the "home team" in this case isn't the Florida governor's own state -- it's his family:

Gov. Jeb Bush took the blame Wednesday for frustrating delays at centers distributing supplies to victims of Hurricane Wilma, saying criticism of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was misdirected."Don't blame FEMA. This is our responsibility," Bush said at a news conference in Tallahassee with federal Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who oversees the agency.Many Floridians were still struggling to find food, water, ice and gas on the third day of recovery from Wilma, waiting in line for hours — sometimes in vain. Miami-Dade's mayor called the distribution system flawed and said at least one relief site of 11 in his county ran out of supplies.

Well, this must make Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco a bit more relieved! Apparently, she's not the only governor who can screw up a post-hurricane relief effort! Even the president's brother -- and the various local authorities he works with -- can't get supplies to everyone!

"This is like the Third World," said Claudia Shaw, who spent several hours in a gas line. "We live in a state where we suffer from these storms every year. Where is the planning?"

Now, that's a good question! So, Jeb Bush, after seven years in office suddenly gets real stupid when it comes to hurricane preparation? Well, it is possible that, given all the storms, he and his people were somehow surprised -- or overwhelmed -- by Wilma.

Or, it could also be that, FEMA -- even with a new guy at the top -- still hasn't been able to get its act together. It could also be that the governor -- realizing that his brother in the White House couldn't afford any more bad news -- decides to take it on the chin this time. Hey, his term's up next year. He doesn't have to worry about figuring out how to govern for another 38 months. He may not like having to suck this one up, but who knows, perhaps the Bush Boys had an understanding as often happens in "families."Perhaps Jeb was able to say to George with a knowing wink: "If I do this favor for you, someday I will come to you and ask you to return the favor and you will do so and not ask why."